A Birthday to Forget
by insearchofcheez
Summary: SisFic! WeeLaney! One-shot. Part of The Winchester Three verse. Laney's excited for her birthday and a day with her father when things don't go quite as planned and she learns the truth about what her birthday really means.


**A/N: Hey ya'll. This will probably be the last one-shot until the New Year. It's way too busy for me around the holidays to keep it up. More one-shots are in the works and you can still look forward to regular updates of The Winchester Three Part 2!**

 **Laney is 8, Dean is 18, Sam is 14**

 **A Birthday to Forget**

"Hey squirt, time to get to bed. You've got school in the morning."

"But it's my birthday tomorrow," whined Laney. "I think I should get to stay home from school."

"Nice try kid," said Dean. "Don't you think you're a little old to whine? You're turning 8 years old."

"I'm not whining," she said with a pout and the cross of her arms over her chest.

Dean laughed. "Sure you aren't," he said, pulling out a fresh pair of pajamas from the small dresser in the room. They had been in town for almost two months – one of their longer stints – but Dean could tell by his father's demeanor that their stay in town was going to be coming to an end very soon.

Laney grabbed the pajamas from him – Wonder Woman – and began to change.

"I thought you loved school."

The kid hadn't skipped two grades already because she hated school. She never missed it if she could help it. She'd been horribly sick with the flu once and had still tried to convince Dean to let her go to school.

"I _do_ love school. It's just it's my birthday and Daddy said he's going to be here. He said we'd do something special."

Dean could understand his sister's excitement. John Winchester usually made sure to be out of town on the anniversary of his wife's death which unfortunately coincided with his daughter's birthday. Unexpectedly, he was going to be home. Or so he'd promised.

"We will do something special shrimp."

Laney smiled brightly.

"But you still have to go to school," he finished, pointing a finger at her.

With an over exaggerated sigh, and dragging her feet, she went to the bathroom to brush her teeth.

Sam came bustling in through the front door. "Hey, where's the baby?"

"Getting ready for bed," answered Dean.

"I've got to hide her birthday present," he said.

Dean nodded. "Hide it good. You know what a bloodhound she is."

Sam laughed. "I know."

He walked into the bedroom the three of them were sharing and decided to hide her gift under his mattress.

He was just walking out of the room when his little sister came out of the bathroom. "Sammy!" she exclaimed. She ran to her brother and threw her arms around him. He smiled and squeezed her back.

"Where have you been all day?" she asked. "I'm doing a project on the Constitution. I need your help."

"Sorry baby, I had a Math Club meeting," he said.

Laney nodded, slowly. She was suspicious. Sam rarely missed dinner and was always home for homework time. She may only be turning eight years old, but she was smart. Maybe later if she got a chance she might go snooping around for her birthday presents.

"Well, can you help me in the morning before school?"

"Sure thing."

"Hey, ready for me to tuck you in?" asked Dean.

"You have my CD ready?"

"Does a dog bark?"

Laney laughed. "You're so goofy."

"Come on, I'll tuck you in too," said Sam.

Laney smiled and followed her big brothers into the bedroom. In this place she had her own bed right next to Sammy. Dean's was on the other side of the room. She still found herself many nights cuddling up next to one of her brothers. Some habits were hard to break.

Dean popped in her CD of rain sounds into the bedside player. It was the only way she'd go to sleep.

"It's time to say my prayers," said Laney.

Dean smiled. "Of course."

Laney closed her eyes and clasped her hands in prayer. "Dear God, Please take care of Dean and Sammy and Daddy, I love them very much. Amen. Oh and tomorrow's my birthday, I hope I get some good presents. Amen."

She climbed into the bed. Dean pulled the covers up to her chin, smiling. Her prayer was the same every night. Take care of her big brothers and her Daddy. It warmed his heart every time he heard it. For all the wrong he worried they were doing raising her this way, it let him know they were at least doing some things right.

"You have sweet dreams baby." He kissed her forehead. "I love you."

"Love you too," she said, yawning.

Dean's phone began ringing. He looked at the Caller ID. _Dad._

"Hey Dad, what's up?"

 _"_ _Wanted to say goodnight to Delaney."_

Dean looked up in surprise. It was a rarity that their Dad wasn't so buried in a hunt – or the bottom of a bottle – that he even was aware of his daughter's bed time.

"Uh- okay." Dean handed the phone to his sister. "It's Dad."

Laney's eyes widened in delight, eliciting a smile even from Sam, who never seemed happy to hear from Dad.

Laney grabbed the phone with her little hands and put it up to her ear. "Hi Daddy!"

 _"_ _Hi sweetheart, did you have a good day today?"_

"It was good. Dean bought me ice cream on the way home from school. And we are studying the Constitution in school!"

 _"_ _That's good honey."_

"You're still going to pick me up from school tomorrow, right Daddy? It's my birthday you know."

Dean exchanged a look with his brother. The both of them knew that their father was well aware of the date. They knew it too, but they'd long ago learned to separate their mother's death from their sister's birth. It wasn't fair to her and besides, they loved her so much, it didn't matter.

 _"_ _Yes, I know sweetheart. And yes, I'm going to pick you up, right out front at 3. I have something special planned."_

Laney practically bounced on the bed for joy. "Okay, Daddy. I'll see you then. Good night."

 _"_ _Goodnight. Let me talk to Dean again, okay?"_

"Okay Daddy."

Laney handed the phone to her brother. "He wants to talk to you."

Dean took the phone.

Laney smiled at Sam. "See Sammy, I told you. Daddy said he's coming to get me from school tomorrow and we're going to do something special for my birthday."

"That's great baby," said Sam. Her joy was infectious. But he remained cautious. His father was notorious for letting them down in one way or another and more frequently lately it had meant disappointing Laney.

Dean glanced at his excited sister and walked outside the room. "You sure you're going to be able to pick her up tomorrow?"

 _"_ _I'll be there."_

"Right at 3. You can't be late. Most of the other kids take buses so the school clears out pretty fast."

 _"_ _I've got it Dean. 3 o'clock. I'll be there."_

"Call me if anything changes," said Dean.

" _See ya tomorrow. Bye."_

Dean clicked his phone shut and stuck it in his pocket. He hoped for once his father would keep a promise.

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"Happy Birthday smurf!"

Laney giggled and ran into her brother's arms. "Thanks Dean." She turned and gave Sam a hug. "Thanks Sammy."

He and Sam had gotten up early and blown up a bunch of balloons and hang them all around the kitchen along with a birthday banner.

"Did you get me any presents?" asked Laney, excitedly.

"Not until after school kiddo," said Dean.

Laney frowned. "Oh alright."

"But I'll make you a special birthday breakfast. Whatever you want."

"Hmmm….How about waffles?!"

"Somehow I knew you'd say that," he said, with a smirk.

He pulled out a container from a plastic bag and opened it with a flourish. Waffles!

Laney giggled loudly. "My favorite!"

"Yes we know," said Dean and Sam simultaneously.

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Laney and Dean walked up the school steps. She turned to give her brother a hug. She loved the walks to school when she got to have Dean all to herself. Usually it was her and Dean and Sam everywhere and he was always busy taking care of everyone or helping Daddy with work. But on the way to school it was always just the two of them and he always listened to all her stories and answered all her questions and never got mad when she asked too many. Daddy sometimes got mad at her. She couldn't help it; she wanted to learn about everything and there was so much to learn.

"Okay, Dad is going to pick you up today, in our usual spot. If he's even a couple of minutes late you go to the office and have them call me, okay?"

"He won't be late," said Laney with certainty.

Dean offered a tight smile. "Have a good day birthday girl."

"Thanks. Don't forget my presents!"

Dean laughed. "Get to class peanut."

Dean watched his sister go into her classroom, shaking his head at how tiny she was compared to her other classmates, not only because she was two grades ahead of the other kids her age, but because she was a tiny kid period.

Satisfied that she was safely settled, he turned around and started the walk back to the house. He'd gotten his GED earlier that year and had more time on his hands than he used to. He could join his father on hunts more often. He still didn't feel comfortable leaving his brother and sister alone for too long. To him, they were his first responsibility. But sometimes, he was bored and restless.

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Laney had barely been able to focus on school all day. She counted down the hours until school was out. She couldn't wait to see her father. It had been a couple of weeks already and she wondered what he had planned for her birthday. He always had to work on her other birthdays, so this one was extra special.

When the bell rang Laney quickly gathered up her books and backpack and ran out to the front steps of the school. She looked around, but didn't see her father yet, but she wasn't worried. She knew he'd be there.

A half-hour later, she still had faith, but she was worried – worried that he might have gotten hurt at work. That maybe one of the monsters or ghosts or other horrible things he hunted had gotten him. She was always worried about that.

Pretty soon, there weren't any more students left at school. She thought about walking to the office and asking them to call Dean. He'd told her to do that and she always did what her big brother told her. But then he would be upset and then Sam would be angry at Dad and then they would fight. She didn't like that. She hated when Sammy and Daddy fought. Because then Sammy would talk about leaving when he turned 18 and she didn't want her brothers to ever leave her. On Dean's 18th birthday she had cried. She was sure that since he was old enough, he was going to leave and have his own life, like Sam wanted. When Dean asked her what was wrong and she told him, he'd laughed at her like it wasn't the funniest thing she'd ever said.

Laney checked the time on the Batman watch Dean had bought for her on her last birthday. 3:45pm. She frowned. She was going to have to call Dean. She walked back into the school and headed for the office, only to find the door locked and nobody around.

"Oh no," she said aloud. _What am I going to do now?_

She wasn't allowed to walk home by herself, but she didn't have a phone to call Dean, even though she had the number memorized.

She could walk to the convenience store and use their phone. She had some change. But she wasn't supposed to walk there either. Laney started to worry. Her father must have been hurt. There was no way he would just forget her. _Or would he?_

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"Shouldn't they be here by now?" asked Sam, looking at the time.

"I don't know what his plans were exactly," said Dean. "Maybe he took her out for some ice cream or something first."

"Did you call him?"

Dean frowned. He had, more than once, and gotten no answer. But Laney's school hadn't called him, so he had to have picked her up. But then again…

"I'll call him again."

Dean dialed his father. It rang several times before his father answered. _"Hello."_

"Dad, when are you guys going to be at the house?"

 _"_ _Dean? What time is it?"_

Dean listened to his father's voice closely. It was off.

"Dad, are you okay?"

 _"_ _I'm fine."_

But Dean noticed the slur and the slowness of his voice and cursed loudly, making Sam jump in surprise.

"Have you been drinking? Please tell me you don't have Laney with you."

 _"_ _I'm on my way right now," he said, voice muffled. "Be a minute."_

"No, Dad. You can't drive in that condition. Sammy and I will go get her."

 _"_ _I'm almost there Dean. "I'll be fine."_

"Dad – you can't –"

The line went dead.

"Dad? Dad!" Dean shouted into the phone.

"Dean," said Sam, fear evident in his voice.

"Come on, Sammy, we've got to run."

It was a nearly two mile run to the school, but Sam and Dean were well trained and fitter than most. They'd make it in record time.

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Laney was sitting down on a step thinking about her options when she heard the Impala approaching. Laney jumped up smiling, her fear and her father's tardiness forgotten.

"Daddy!" she shouted.

She ran down the steps and met him.

"Hey sweetie."

Laney noticed her father wobble a bit and his voice sounded a little funny. "Are you okay Daddy?"

"Of course I am. Come on birthday girl, let's go have some fun."

Laney smiled, "Okay, let's go."

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Dean's worst fears were realized when they arrived at the school to find Laney gone. He knew that their father had beaten them there.

"Dean, what are we going to do? He's driving drunk with her."

"I'm aware of that Sam." He ran his hands through his spiky hair and glanced around the parking lot. "Come on, I've got an idea."

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"Where are we going?" asked Laney. She alternated between excitement and worry. Her father was acting strange. She'd seen him like this before. Sam said it happened when he drank. But he would never drink and drive. He told her that was a very bad thing and people got killed that way. She'd read all about the nasty things alcohol did to a person.

Dean had once told her that Daddy drank sometimes because his heart was hurting. Maybe for some reason it was really hurting today. It made her sad. It was supposed to be her special day.

"You want to go get some ice cream?" John asked, looking at her, swerving slightly into the median.

Laney grabbed the car door and hung on. "Okay," she said softly. "Can Sammy and Dean come with us?" she asked hopefully.

Her father gave her a stern look. "No, it's you and me today kiddo. Don't you want to spend time with me? Daddy left work so he could be with you on your birthday."

Laney nodded solemnly. She wasn't having fun and she was scared. "Did you get any monsters or ghosts?"

"Of course I did. I always do." Well almost. There was still one. The one who'd killed his wife. He had yet to get his hands on that one. But he would. If it was the last thing he did.

"Daddy, the ice cream shop is the other way," said Laney, realizing they were headed out towards the main highway and away from town.

"Is it?" he asked confused.

"Yes."

John pulled a quick and dangerous u-turn in the middle of the road that had Laney yelping in fear, and headed the back towards town.

"We don't have to get ice cream. We can just go home. I think Dean and Sammy got me a birthday cake."

"Did they?"

"I think so."

"You love your brothers very much don't you?"

"Yes Daddy."

"That's good. I'm glad you'll always have them to take care of you."

"Does your heart hurt today Daddy?"

John did a double take. "What makes you ask me that?"

"It smells like you've been drinking. Dean said you drink sometimes because your heart hurts."

John nodded. "Yes. My heart hurts."

"Why?"

"A lot of reasons," he answered tiredly.

"You can talk to me about it," she said seriously.

John laughed a bitter, humorless laugh. "You're a little young."

"But I'm really smart."

"Too smart," he muttered.

Laney smiled. Dean told her that all the time. Her teachers, all the grown ups told her how smart she was. She could remember everything she read. But there were some things she wasn't as smart at. Like understanding people. Adults were strange. They did things that didn't make sense all the time. Like now, she didn't like what was happening.

Laney looked out the window and let out an exasperated sigh. "Daddy, you passed the ice cream shop!"

"I did?" he asked.

"Yes, it was back there," she said, pointing a finger.

"Oh, well let's just go for a drive then."

"Daddy, I want to go home. You're scaring me."

John looked at his daughter, feeling an odd mixture of love and resentment. His wife had died eight years ago to the day and left him with two sons and a newborn daughter. If Delaney hadn't been born, maybe his wife would still be alive. He had a sneaking suspicion that thing that had killed his wife was actually trying to kill his daughter and his wife had gotten in the way. It wasn't the poor kids fault, but the booze was really messing with his reasoning and he was feeling angrier by the minute.

"We're not going home," he said, loudly.

Laney shrunk down in her seat. "But I want Dean," she said softly.

"I'm your father, not Dean!" He had spent so many years hearing about how great Dean was with Delaney, how lucky he was that his sons loved their sister like they did and took care of her. He knew what they were really thinking; that he was a deadbeat and no good. But they hadn't lost their wife to blood and fire and evil like he had. They had no idea.

"Do you miss your Mommy?" John blurted out.

Laney looked at her father wide-eyed. Her mother was an off-limits topic. No one ever talked about her. When she was younger, she had questions about why everyone had a Mommy and she didn't. Dean told her that Mommy went to heaven when she was a baby and that had been the end of it.

Laney didn't know how to answer. "I never met her, Daddy."

"Yes, I know," he said bitterly. "Do you know why you never met her?"

"She – she –she's in he-heaven," stuttered Laney.

"And do you know why she's in heaven?" he asked, coldly.

Laney shook her head no.

"Because you were born. It's all because of you."

"I don't understand."

"Your Mommy died on the day you were born."

Laney didn't know that. She knew it had happened when she was a baby. But she had no idea of the circumstances and she never dared to ask. It was another one of those adult things she didn't get.

"I'm s-s-sorry," said Laney, great big tears welling up in her eyes.

"So am I," he said angrily. He pulled a paper bag from under his seat and took a long swig of cheap whiskey.

"Daddy, you shouldn't drink and drive. It's against the law. Someone could get hurt," said Laney, crying softly now.

"I'm an adult, I'll do whatever I want," he snapped. He took another swig. "Why? Why did she have to die?"

Laney wasn't sure if she was supposed to answer that question so she didn't, just offered another apology. Daddy seemed to be so mad at her. "I'm sorry."

"You should be," he said, with such venom it took Laney's breath away. She'd never seen him so mad. Not even when he and Sammy fought. Which was a lot.

Her eyes widened. He wished she was never born. She wondered if Sam and Dean were mad at her too.

Laney looked out on the road, when suddenly a dog darted in front of the car. John slammed the brakes, sending the car into a violent sideways slide, tires screeching, before it came to a stop. Laney slid forward in her seat, her mouth hitting the dashboard. She immediately felt wetness. She put her hand up and pulled it away. She was bleeding.

John was breathing hard. He looked over at his daughter and saw the blood. With a violent curse he reached for her.

"Delaney? Are you okay?"

Laney nodded a yes, even though she was bleeding and it hurt. It wasn't bad and she didn't want her father to get even angrier with her.

"I want to go home," she said, her voice small.

John handed her a handkerchief and watched as she wiped her mouth. There wasn't much blood, but it was enough. He'd hurt her in more ways than one. He hadn't meant to do it. He hadn't meant to say what he'd been thinking off and on for years. He knew it wasn't rational. But he couldn't help it. He'd been expecting as the years went by, the pain of his wife's death would get easier to deal with. But it didn't, it got harder and he'd reached his breaking point. Now he knew his wife was watching him from wherever she was and hating him. And he hated himself. The baby had no fault in any of it.

He put the car in drive and continued down the road in silence for a few minutes, before pulling into the ice cream shop parking lot. He dropped her near a payphone. "Call Dean to come pick you up," he said.

Laney nodded, grabbed her backpack, and climbed out of the car. She put the change in the phone and dialed her brother. When she turned around her father was peeling out of the parking lot.

Laney felt sadder than she ever had in her life.

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Dean had finally managed to hot wire a car. It wasn't something he wanted to do. The town was small and they'd been there for a couple of months, so people were bound to recognize them in a car not belonging to them. So he chose a car with out of state plates and hoped they could get away with it long enough to track down their father.

"Where should we look first?" asked Sam, his leg bouncing up and down, nervously. He was freaking out. He knew what their father was capable of when he was drunk. They had done their best to protect Laney from that dark side of their father, but this time they'd failed spectacularly.

"I'm going to head to – "

Dean broke off mid-sentence when his phone rang. The caller ID showed an unknown caller. His heart started thumping wildly in his chest. "Hello?" he answered, breathlessly.

"Dean?" asked the very small and very scared sounding voice of his little sister.

"Laney? Where are you sweetheart?"

"Come get me," she said, with a sniffle. She was crying. And Dean silently cursed everything he could think of.

"Where are you baby?"

"Ice cream shop."

"Okay, sweetheart I'm just a minute or two away. Here talk to Sammy," he said, handing handing his brother the phone so he could pull a hard u-turn back the other way.

"Hey peanut. Are you okay?"

"Tell Dean to hurry. I want to go home."

"We're coming baby. We'll take you home and then you've got birthday presents to open."

"I don't care," she said.

Sam looked over at his brother, concern deeply etched on his face.

Dean gave him a questioning look.

"What do you mean you don't care? I thought you were so excited," said Sam, as nonchalantly as possible.

Dean frowned deeply.

"I just want you and Dean. I want to go home. I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?"

"Are you almost here?"

"Yes baby, we're right around the corner."

"Okay," she said, and hung up the phone.

"Laney?"

Sam frowned. "She hung up."

Dean cursed. He didn't know what the Hell had happened, but he was ready to reign some fury down on his father.

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Two minutes later, Dean had left the stolen vehicle on a side road and wiped down his and Sammy's prints. The last thing they needed was to go to jail for grand theft auto.

They quickly made their way up the street to the ice cream shop. Dean noticed his little sister right away, sitting on a bench outside the shop. As he got closer he noticed she had something up to her mouth and it was stained red.

 _Blood._

"Laney!" Dean said loudly, jogging the final steps to her.

"Dean," she cried, throwing her arms around her brother's waist.

"Are you okay? Let me look at you."

Dean pulled her back. "What happened to your mouth?" he asked, tightly. He studied the cut. It was nothing bad.

"I hit it on the dashboard. Daddy had to slam the brakes. We almost hit a dog," she rushed out.

Dean silently cursed.

"Hey baby," said Sam. He reached for her and she went into his arms. He picked her up and held her closely, wincing when he saw the cut and swollen lip.

"Sammy. I want to go home."

"We're going home baby," said Dean.

Dean reached for his sister and pulled her into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, holding on tightly.

Dean wasn't sure how to ask his sister about what had happened. She looked freaked out and she was hurt and it was her freaking birthday for God's sake. What a way to celebrate. First things first, they'd get her home and cleaned up.

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The walk home had been quick. Dean kept his eyes peeled for any sign of their father. But to no avail. He figured it was going to be awhile before he saw his face around.

Sam picked out some fresh clothes for Laney to change into, while Dean cleaned her lip with some antiseptic and declared her good as new.

"You want to tell us what happened baby?" asked Dean.

Laney changed her shirt and took a seat on her bed. "I'm tired. I just want to go to bed."

"It's not even dinner time yet. And you have presents to open and cake," said Dean.

"It's okay. I don't want to celebrate it anyway." She curled into her brother's side and buried her face in his flannel shirt.

"Why would you say that?" asked Sam.

"I don't think we should celebrate my birthday anymore. It's not a good day," said Laney. She was beginning to cry and embarrassed. She didn't like to cry in front of her brothers. She wanted to be tough like them.

Dean pulled her away and took her face in his hands, brushing her tears away. "Sweetheart, what do you mean it's not a good day?"

Laney pushed her face back into Dean's shirt.

Sam rubbed a circle on her back to sooth her. "You can tell us baby. We won't be mad about anything you have to say."

Laney softly hiccupped and looked up Sam, nodding. "You promise?"

The look on her face almost broke his heart. "Of course we promise."

"What happened?" asked Dean, softly.

"Mommy died the day I was born," she said, just above a whisper.

Dean cursed under his breath. What the hell had their father said to her?

"Daddy said Mommy died because I was born. He said he was sorry I was born."

Laney looked up at her brothers who were both very clearly angry. Dean's jaw was clenched tight and vein in his forehead bulged. Sam looked like he wanted to hit something.

Laney's lip quivered. "Is it my fault Mommy died?"

Dean grabbed his sister and hugged her tightly to his chest. "No baby, God no. Mom died in an accident. It wasn't your fault." It wasn't entirely the truth. It certainly wasn't an accident. But she didn't need to know the details yet. She just needed to know it wasn't her fault.

"I'm s-s-sorry," she sniffled.

"Don't be sorry," said Sam. "Dad was wrong to say that you."

"Laney, sometimes when people drink too much, they say things that they don't mean," said Dean.

"So why do they say them?" she asked.

Dean struggled to answer that question. "Dad just misses Mom really badly and sometimes he doesn't know how to deal with that."

"I'm sorry," said Laney, again.

"Don't be sorry," said Dean. "Don't ever be sorry. The day you were born was the best day of my life."

"Mine too baby," said Sam.

"See, we have to celebrate when you were born, because you make us very happy," added Dean.

"I don't know," said Laney. "If it makes Daddy sad, then maybe we shouldn't."

Dean wanted to scream, shout, hit someone, throw something, anything to release the frustration and anger he was feeling. _How dare Dad do that to her._

"You don't worry about Dad," said Dean. "It's your special day and you're going to have fun tonight."

Laney shrugged. "I'm really tired. I just want to sleep."

Dean frowned at her and then he found himself freaking out. "Laney, did you hit your head on the dashboard?"

"No, just my mouth," she answered.

Dean checked her head for any bumps or bruises until he was satisfied she was okay. He sighed. "Okay, how about you take a little nap and when you get up we'll start the celebration," said Dean.

Laney nodded hesitantly. "Okay."

"Good," he said, patting her knee. "Sammy's going to stay with you. I've got to run out for a few things."

Sam looked at his brother questioningly. Dean's face said it all. He was going to look for their father.

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Two hours later, Dean gave up the search. It was getting dark and he'd promised his sister a good birthday and he wasn't about to let her down. The time out of the house had at least allowed him to regain his composure. But when he saw his father's face again, he wasn't sure how he was going to react.

Dean walked into the bedroom to check on his siblings. Laney was curled up against Sam who had himself, dozed off. He smiled at the sight. God, he loved his brother and sister more than anything in the world. That was no exaggeration. There wasn't anything he wouldn't do for them. He'd protect them at any cost; even if it meant protecting them from their own father.

He approached the bed to shake his brother awake. The motion woke Laney first.

"Hi Dean," she said with a yawn.

"Feeling better?" he asked. He could see her lip was bruised and swollen. He felt his anger rise, but made himself squash it.

She nodded.

"You ready for some cake and presents. I brought back some pizza too."

"Extra pepperoni?" she asked hopefully.

"Do monkeys like bananas?"

She giggled. "Sammy, wake up," she said, shaking him awake.

"Huh. Hey baby."

"Dean brought us pizza, extra pepperoni."

Sam smiled. "Sounds good to me."

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Laney ate her pizza happily. The talk she'd had with her brothers and the nap had her feeling like new. Dean smiled and told silly jokes. His sister seemed to be bouncing back. But she was like that, resilient. And all it took was for him to tell her it was all okay. It was scary for someone to have that much faith in him. He could never let her down.

When they finished the pizza, Dean pushed her and Sam out to the small living room so he could get her cake ready.

Sam and Laney were watching a documentary on the Civil War when he entered the room. _Figures, couple of nerds._

"Look what I have," said Dean.

He walked into the room and set down a small chocolate cake decorated with frosted pink flowers on the coffee table. It had eight pink candles and read "Happy Birthday Munchkin."

Dean and Sam both started singing Happy Birthday to her.

"Okay, blow out the candles and don't forget to make a wish," said Dean.

Laney looked at the cake for a long minute; it seemed to take her a long time to settle on her wish. Finally, she blew the candles out.

Dean clapped his hands. "Good job."

"How about your presents?" asked Sam

Laney smiled brightly. "Okay."

Sam pulled a gift bag from behind the couch and handed it to his sister. "Mine first."

Laney grabbed the bag and dug through all the tissue until she reached something large and flat. She pulled it out and unwrapped it.

She let out a yelp of delight. "The Complete History of Computers! Thank you Sammy!"

Sam smiled, blushing slightly. He'd noticed his sister lovingly touching the pages of the fully illustrated book, when they'd made a stop at a large bookstore recently. It had been expensive and Laney hadn't bothered to ask for it. She knew they never had a lot of money. But he could see how much she wanted it. So he used the money he'd been saving up for months.

She launched herself at her brother and hugged him tightly, before sitting down and flipping through the pages.

"What about your present from me?" asked Dean

Laney looked up at Dean and smiled. "Okay."

He went to the other room and came back carrying a very large box with a bow on it.

She walked over to the box.

"Go ahead squirt, open it."

Laney ripped the top of the box open and peeked inside; her eyes went wider than he'd ever seen. She didn't move or say a word for long enough that Dean was beginning to worry something was wrong.

"You okay?" he asked, approaching her.

She nodded her head. "Yeah," she said barely above a whisper.

"What's wrong?"

"Is that really a computer?" she asked in disbelief.

"Yes," he said, with a smile. "It's a used computer baby, but I made sure it works and everything."

"For me?" she asked, disbelief in her voice.

"Of course," answered Dean with a chuckle. "It's all yours." He'd found it at a garage sale a few weeks earlier, making sure it worked, before he dropped what little money he'd managed to save over the year. Money he'd been saving for a new gun. But the look on his sister's face was worth the sacrifice.

She walked over to her brother and threw herself around him. "It's the best gift ever," she said.

Dean smiled and kissed her on the top of her head. He cleared his throat, feeling a lump forming.

"I'll help you set it up," he said.

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After cake and ice cream and all the pizza she could eat, Laney was dead on her feet. Once Dean and Sam had set her computer up, she'd spent the next couple of hours exploring it. She'd always wanted her own computer. She loved everything about computers. She was trying to teach herself how to build her own. She had read a book about basic coding and she was sure she could teach herself how to code too.

"Come on kiddo, it's time to hit the sack."

"Aw, now?"

"It's late."

"But I took a nap."

"I know, but you still have school tomorrow."

Laney sighed dramatically. "Alright."

She quickly changed into her pajamas and climbed into bed to say her prayers.

"Dear God, Thank you so much for helping my brothers get me the best birthday presents ever. Please take care of Dean and Sammy. I love them very much. They are the best brothers in the whole world. Amen."

Dean smiled at his sister's prayer, but frowned internally. It hadn't escaped his notice that she'd failed to include their father in her prayer. That was a first.

Dean tucked the blankets around his sister and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He turned on her CD of rain storms and shut off the light.

"Sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite."

"Dean?" she asked, her voice small and quiet.

"Yes sweetheart?"

Laney looked torn for a moment. "Never mind."

Dean frowned. His sister hadn't mentioned the earlier incident with her father or the talk they'd had earlier about their Mom since it happened. He had thought – hoped – that she had moved on from it all ready. But Laney was a natural peacekeeper. Sometimes she did whatever she could to make sure everyone around her was happy and sometimes that meant pretending everything was okay even when it wasn't.

"Goodnight."

"Night," she said, yawning.

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It was nearly dawn when Dean heard the Impala pulling up outside. He'd been up waiting and pacing the whole night, unable to sleep until he talked to his father. Laney had woken up three times in the night with nightmares. Not even moving her into the bed with Sammy had kept them at bay. She wouldn't tell him what they were about. But Dean had some clue.

Dean heard the creak of the Impala door shutting. He decided to meet his father outside. Things could get loud.

John saw his son approach. He'd expected it, tried to prepare for it.

"Son, before you start. Is she okay?"

Dean seethed. "I don't know. Depends what you mean by okay. She's got a split lip. She's woken up three times tonight screaming from nightmares and she thinks that you hate her and wished she'd never been born!"

"Dean, what I did was wrong. I know it. I do. I didn't mean to say anything I said, especially not to her. I don't know what I was thinking."

"That's just it. You weren't thinking Dad! You were drunk and you got Laney hurt. That can't happen!"

"I know, Dean. I know. I'm going to talk to her and make this better."

"I don't think you are going to make this one better Dad," Dean said gruffly. "She's only 8 years old and now she thinks that you wished she were dead. How is she supposed to deal with that? That's not something someone just moves on from."

"I'm sorry, Dean. I screwed up. I know I did."

Dean's hackles settled a bit when he noticed the tears falling from his father's eyes. It was not something they saw much of in their whole lives.

"Talk to her," said Dean. "But if you hurt her – "

"I won't."

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When Laney crawled out of bed in the morning, she was surprised to see Dean sound asleep in his bed. Usually he was the one who woke her up and made breakfast for her. Sam was still asleep too.

She walked into the kitchen to make herself a bowl of cereal and was startled when she saw her father sitting at the table.

He looked up at her and smiled lightly.

Laney shifted uncomfortably and contemplated going to get Dean.

John noticed her hesitation and cursed himself. She was afraid of him. He never wanted that.

"Come here sweetheart. Have a seat. I want to talk to you."

Laney hesitated, but noticed his voice was no longer slurring and he looked normal to her.

"Okay," she said, softly.

She pulled out a chair and sat down.

"I want to tell you how sorry I am sweetheart. What I said yesterday was wrong. I didn't mean it. Daddy made a big mistake and you got hurt. I love you so much, you have to know that."

"Are you mad though?"

"I'm not mad at you honey. I swear I'm not. It was a stupid, stupid thing for me to say. I miss your Mommy so much, but it wasn't your fault. She would be very mad at me if she knew what I said to you. She would be so proud of the young lady you are becoming. She loved you very, very much."

"I wish I knew her," said Laney, and it was the first time she'd admitted as much.

"I wish you did too," he said. He reached over and pulled his daughter into a hug. "Can you forgive me?"

Laney nodded. "Yes, I forgive you."

John smiled. He didn't deserve his daughter's love, he knew that. His beloved Mary would be so disappointed. When he had sobered up that night, he'd made a promise to never drink again and to work harder to give his daughter a better life.

Too bad he'd never been good at keeping promises.

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A week later the Winchesters packed their bags and headed to the next job. John had word of enough paranormal activity a few states away to keep them busy for awhile.

Dean helped his sister pack up her computer and books and load them in the car. John had balked at the space the computer took up in the trunk. But Dean's quick reminder of his father's earlier behavior had been enough for him to shut up about it. And besides, John was looking into buying another car and giving Dean the Impala. It was time he had his own wheels. It was the least he could do for the son who held everything together.

"Ready kiddo?" asked Dean.

"Ready," she said with a smile.

Dean helped her get settled in the backseat with a few books to read on the trip and some snacks. She looked tired. She'd still been having nightmares, although not as frequently but she'd lost some sleep. He'd also noticed how there seemed to be a shadow in her eyes that had never been there before and he knew his father was responsible for putting it there. He hoped distance and time would get rid of it.

"Dean, are you going to ride back here with me?"

Dean looked at his sister's pleading expression. "Sure kid, why not?"

Dean didn't know what his sister's future held. All he knew was that he was always going to be there, to protect her and love her, for the rest of his days.


End file.
